Search Abandonment Automation sends a follow-up email to contacts who search your Shopify store but do not continue shopping. Use the search term, search results URL, and result count to personalize your message and recommend relevant products.
In this article, you'll learn how to set up and adjust a Search Abandonment automation in Omnisend.
Search Abandonment automation is available only for Shopify stores.
Before You Begin
Supported platforms: Shopify only. Make sure your Shopify store is connected to Omnisend. Connect your Shopify store to Omnisend.
Plan: Automation Workflows are available on all Omnisend plans. View pricing.
User roles: All roles except Analyst can access Automation Workflow settings. Learn more about user roles.
Subscription status: Product Abandonment can trigger for both subscribed and non-subscribed contacts. See which workflows trigger for different subscription statuses.
Retrospective triggering: This automation cannot be triggered retrospectively.
New to Automation Workflows? Read Set Up Automation Workflow Settings.
Use Cases
Use Search Abandonment Automation to:
Bring contacts back to their search results: Remind contacts about what they were looking for and link them back to the relevant results page.
Help contacts who found no results: Follow up with contacts whose search returned no products and offer relevant alternatives, similar products, or a broader category to explore.
Continue the shopping journey: Recommend products related to what contacts searched for and guide them toward the next step.
Automation Setup
Step 1. Go to Automations → Create workflow.
Step 2. Find the Search Abandonment preset → Click Customize workflow.
The workflow opens with a preset trigger, trigger filter, inactivity time, exit conditions, and Email block. Review each section before activating the workflow.
Automation Settings
The pre-built Search Abandonment uses the Search submitted event with the Search Results Count at least 1 filter. It also includes a two-hour trigger inactivity time and exit conditions for product views, cart additions, checkout starts, and placed orders. You can adjust these settings at any time.
💡 Read on to learn how to adjust the automation’s default settings.
Trigger: Search Submitted Event
The Search submitted event is triggered when a contact submits a search on your Shopify store.
The event data is available in trigger filters. You can also use it in Split blocks and message personalization. Search activity is also available in Segments, Contact activity, and Live View.
Trigger Filters
You can use the event properties below as trigger filters in your automation.
Trigger filter | What it contains | Example use |
Search Query | The complete search phrase submitted by the contact. | Target searches that contain |
Search Query Parts | The individual words in the search phrase. | Target searches that include a word such as |
Search Results Count | The number of products shown on the results page returned by Shopify. | Use at least 1 to target searches with products, or exactly 0 to target searches with no products. |
URL | The URL of the search results page. | Target a specific search page or URL pattern. |
Note: searchResultsCount shows the number of products on the results page returned by Shopify. It does not show the total number of matching products across the store. The value is reliable for identifying searches that returned no products.
💡 You can combine multiple trigger filters using the available filter logic. For more information, read Understand Automation Trigger Settings.
Trigger Inactivity Time
Trigger inactivity time controls how long the workflow waits after the Search submitted event before starting.
The pre-built uses a two-hour inactivity time. You can adjust this value based on how much time contacts need to continue browsing after their search.
💡 We recommend allowing contacts enough time to continue browsing before sending a follow-up message. They may view a product, add an item to their cart, or start checkout after searching. A longer inactivity period gives them time to complete these actions before receiving the email.
Audience Filters
Use Audience filters to target contacts based on their profile data, such as country, tags, or custom fields.
💡 For more advanced targeting, consider using a Conditional Split inside the workflow. Learn more about Audience Filters in Automation.
Exit Conditions
Exit conditions stop the workflow when a contact completes another action. The pre-built Search Abandonment automation includes the following exit conditions:
Views a specific product
Adds an item to their cart
Starts checkout
Places an order
You can edit or remove these conditions in the trigger settings. Learn more about Exit Conditions.
Frequency and Skip Contacts
Use Frequency to control how often a contact can enter the Search Abandonment automation.
Use Skip contacts to prevent contacts who are already active in another selected automation from entering this workflow.
These settings can help reduce overlapping messages when you use Search Abandonment together with Product Abandonment, Browse Abandonment, or Abandoned Cart.
Message Content
The Search Abandonment preset includes an Email block that you can customize in the Email Builder.
Click the email block → Edit content to edit the email.
The pre-built email includes personalization that references the contact’s search:
[[event.searchQuery]]– Displays the contact’s search phrase.[[event.url]]– Links the contact back to the search results page, such ashttps://examplestore.com/search?q=hand+cream.
You can add more personalization tags to your email using the Personalization menu in the Email Builder.
You can also add additional content to the email, including:
Product Recommender – Recommend products based on the contact’s preferences.
Product Listing – Show products related to the contact’s search.
Buttons – Add additional calls to action, such as returning to the search results or viewing a product collection.
💡 Example: Show your best-selling products with a call to action to shop.
Add Delays, Actions, and Splits
Delay
Use a Delay block to control when a follow-up message or action occurs.
For example:
Send the first email two hours after the search.
Add a Delay block for one day.
Send a second email with alternative products.
Workflow Actions
You can add more message blocks to the workflow, including SMS and Push Notification, to reach contacts through additional channels.
You can also add A/B testing and other available workflow actions to test different messages, timings, or paths.
Conditional Split
Use a Split block to send different messages based on the contact’s search data.
For example:
If Search Query contains
skin, send skincare recommendations.If Search Query Parts contains
new, send new arrivals.If Search Query contains
discount, send discounted products.For all other searches, send a general message with a link back to the search results.
💡 You can use the same event properties in Split blocks that you use in trigger filters. Learn more about Conditional Splits.
Reports
You can review the performance of your Search Abandonment Automation in Reports.
Automation reports show workflow activity and engagement, including the contacts who entered the workflow and the messages they received. Learn more about Automation Reports.
FAQ
Why can’t I find Search Abandonment Automation in the pre-built automation library?
Search Abandonment Automation is currently available only for Shopify stores. If you use another ecommerce platform or your Shopify store is not connected to Omnisend, you won’t see this preset in the pre-built automation library.
Why isn’t my Search Abandonment Automation triggering?
If contacts are not entering the workflow or messages are not sending, check the following:
Make sure the workflow is active. Unpublished workflows do not send messages.
Confirm that the Omnisend App Embed is enabled on your Shopify store. Go to Shopify admin → Online Store → Themes → Customize → Theme settings → App embeds, turn on Omnisend, and click Save.
Check the contact’s profile to confirm that the Search submitted event was recorded.
Review the trigger filters. The default Search Results Count at least 1 filter excludes searches that returned no products.
Confirm that the contact is subscribed to the channel used in the workflow.
Open the trigger settings and click Test trigger to check whether contacts pass or fail the filters.
Can I change the default trigger filter?
Yes. You can edit or remove the default Search Results Count, at least 1 filter, and add other trigger filters.
Does moving to page two create another event?
No. Moving to another results page, such as page=2, does not trigger a new Search submitted event.
Do sort and facet changes trigger new events?
Yes. Changing a sort option or facet filter triggers a new Search submitted event.
Can I use the search phrase in the email subject line?
Yes. Add the following personalization tag to the subject line or message content:
[[event.searchQuery]].
Can I send different products based on what a contact searched for?
Yes. Use a Split block with Search Query or Search Query Parts, then add relevant product content to each path.
Need help? Contact our Support Team through in-app chat or email [email protected].